Chapters:

The soft grass of the forest greeted me that night as I found
myself once more sprawled upon them. With some effort I stood,
looking about the area to ascertain that these were in fact, my
whereabouts. They were. No longer was the castle visible, or my
companion. They had both vanished without a trace as if it were
all a dream from the very beginning. The sky was overcast, long
shadows following small glimpses of the moon as it struggled to
break free from obscurity. It was during one of these passes
where the celestial splendor is revealed in the heavens, that I
caught sight of a small object being hidden in the tall grass by
night's shadow, and now unearthed by that merciful light. I
ventured to examine this, lifting it to better determine it's
shape.

His. It was his. Before me was the pendant belonging to Lord
Katsuto. The cross of silver and the crystal roses. I could not
suppress the faint smile that stole over my lips at that moment,
nor can I even now when on occasion I glimpse it among my
belongings as I continue my sojourn through the forests. A token
of remembrance, and perhaps more.

It has been one year since that time. One year and not a day over
since I left the land of blood and roses. No trouble has come to
me from that land since then, and there is little if any
knowledge in this land that speak of roses and immortality. This
is all for the best, I am sure. Yet I wonder on such nights as
this, when the full moon shimmers off the pendant as it rests
around my throat; do they still think of me in that place? Does
my name still escape in the flurry of conversation there, as it
has happened more than once on occasion here? It is with a
fondness and warmth of heart that I remember my brief stay in the
castle and my time within that realm. I may never return there,
yet I constantly hope that the land of blood and night will
continue to flourish, and that the roses blossom eternal.